Dear Dad
by Devil Wolf Girl
Summary: A combination of letters written to George Kirk and the events surrounding the letters. It all started when his teacher proposed a Father's Day activity for the class. That started a habit Jim would carry with him for years to come. Whenever his thoughts became too much for him to bear alone, he would write a letter to his dad. The one person who could never judge him.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer ~ I do not own Star Trek**

Mrs. Zwickstra clapped her hands calling the class' attention to her. It took a minute for the fresh out of recess five year olds to calm down enough to pay attention but that was nothing unusual for Mrs. Zwickstra.

"Now class, as you may know, tomorrow is Father's Day. I thought that we could use the remainder of class to do an activity pertaining to it," she said with a smile. Many of the children's faces lit up at the word activity. All but one, who's face scrunched in confusion. James Tiberius Kirk raised his hand, prompting Mrs. Zwickstra to call on him.

"Yes Jim?" she asked. If it was any other student, the question would be asking which activity they were doing. But not Jim. He rarely asked what she was expecting to hear.

"What does pertaining mean?" Jim asked. Mrs. Zwickstra smiled. Her point was proven. Jim was always unpredictable with his questions, so she was secretly glad this one had to do with learning. His last question was where she got her shoes.

"It means related to something else. In this case, the activity is related to father's day," Mrs. Zwickstra explained. Jim thanked her and another student, Tara, thrust her hand in the air.

"What are we doing?" Tara asked once Mrs. Zwickstra said her name. The teacher laughed, having expected that question.

"First, you are going to be writing a letter to your dads. Tell them why you are happy they are your dad. Once you finish, you can make a father's day card for them," she explained. The class erupted in cheers at the prospect of crafting. It wasn't until several minutes later, when she was walking amongst the students, that Mrs. Zwickstra noticed one student that hadn't moved to join in on the activity.

"Is there something wrong Jim?" Mrs. Zwickstra asked, crouching down beside the boy. Jim was silent for a second before answering.

"I don't have a dad," he said. "He died when I was born so I never knew him," Jim said with a maturity rarely found in children. Mrs. Zwickstra was taken aback. Of course. How could she have forgotten? George Kirk died when he saved all those shuttles, including the one newborn Jim was on.

"I'm so sorry Jim. I completely forgot about that," Mrs. Zwickstra said quietly. She felt bad about this activity now. It was basically flaunting that Jim didn't have a father to the boy.

"It's okay. You were thinking of all the other kids too. They love it when you do arts and crafts," Jim told her. It almost sounded like he was trying to cheer her up.

"They? Are you not included in that group?" she teased. Jim gave her a grin, showing off his missing tooth in the process.

"Sometimes. Like when we got to make our own starships," Jim said. They both chuckled at that particular activity. The students insisted on hanging their finished ships from the ceiling, which certainly made the room look more interesting.

"Why don't you try writing a letter anyway?" Mrs. Zwickstra suggested. "Maybe not an appreciation letter but how about an introductory one instead? Tell him about yourself," she said. Jim gave her the cutest 'are you stupid' face she had ever seen.

"But he's dead. He can't read it," Jim said. Mrs. Zwickstra rested a hand on his shoulder as she spoke.

"The universe works in mysterious ways Jim. I know lots of people that write letters to their deceased loved ones. It makes them feel closer to that person. And for all we know, there's a spiritual postman that delivers the letters," she joked. Jim glanced at the paper in front of him.

"I guess I can try," he muttered. Mrs. Zwickstra smiled and gently ruffled Jim's hair.

"That's all I ask Jim," she said. The teacher stood and continued her walk around the classroom. Every now and then, her eyes would be drawn to Jim. He had a look of intense concentration on his face as he wrote in a blue marker.

_Earth Stardate: June 16, Year 2238_

_Dear Dad, _

_It's father's day today. My class is doing an activity where everyone writes a letter to their fathers. I tried to get out of it, because you're kinda dead and all, but my teacher Mrs. Zwickstra said I should give it a shot anyway. It doesn't make sense for me to write a letter to a dead man but apparently a lot of people do it to feel closer to them or something. _

_Mrs. Zwitckstra is a nice teacher so I'll write one to make her happy. I don't really know what she expects me to write about though. You've been dead for five years. You died the same day I was born. I've never met you before. The only reason I know who you are at all is because Sam tells me stories about you sometimes. Talking about you makes him sad though. And you're basically taboo to talk about when Mom is around. _

_Umm. I don't really know what I'm supposed to say. Hi, I'm the son you never got to know because you died the day I was born? We kinda already established that though. Mrs. Zwickstra suggested an introduction letter so I guess that's what I'll do. _

_My name is James Tiberius Kirk but I prefer to be called Jim. You probably already knew this though, since you named me. Uhh. My favorite color is blue. I'm five years old now. I'm really smart for my age and have been using a Padd to take middle school classes while I attend elementary school. Only Sam knows this though. Mom's never home to care anyway. Apparently I have a photographic memory, which I think is super awesome. I can remember so many random and useless trivia facts and annoy Sam or my classmates with them. _

_Hmm. My favorite thing to do is reading. But like, actual books. The ones made of paper. They're really rare but I've always liked the feel of turning pages more than swiping a padd. I've collected three of them so far. My digital library is huge though. I needed like four padds to store all of the books. I have them separated into different categories just so I can keep track of them all. One for science and engineering, one for languages, one for medical, and the last one for casual reading like fiction books. I might get another for other random things that interest me someday though. _

_Okay class is almost over so I need to finish this letter. Happy Father's Day I guess. _

_Love, _

_Your son Jim_

**You guys are probably tired of me posting this fic, since this is the third time, but this will be the last one as well. I've decided to go ahead and just combine the letters and novelization of both my Dear Dad fics into one story. So you'll have the novelization like a normal fic, and then the bonus letters at the end of the chapter. At least it will make the chapters longer than they would be separate. **

**I hope you all enjoy this fic! Please Review, Favorite, and Follow! I'm working on the next chapter so hopefully it'll be ready soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer ~ I do not own Star Trek**

"Bedtime Jimmy," Sam announced, turning off his padd and placing it on his desk. It was 21:37 and Sam should have had them in bed an hour ago. But he had gotten a bit too absorbed in the book he was reading and didn't pay attention to the time. At least, not until he had finished the book.

Hearing no reply from his brother, Sam turned to Jim's half of the room. Jim was just as absorbed in his book as Sam had been. Sam laughed. A love for reading must be a Kirk trait.

"C'mon squirt. Time to recharge that brain of yours," Sam tried again. Jim made no indication he even knew Sam was on the same planet as his eyes continued to dart back and forth while he read. Sam sighed fondly and walked across the room. He called Jim's name once more but still nothing. Sam rolled his eyes and smirked. Time for drastic measures.

"Sam! It's just getting to the good part!" Jim whined, reaching for the padd now in Sam's possession. Sam just laughed and held the stolen padd higher.

"The good part will still be there when you wake up," Sam said. Jim pouted but didn't protest. After all, the sooner he went to sleep, the sooner he could wake up and be allowed to read again.

The brothers quickly went through their nightly routine and climbed into their respective beds. Sam fell asleep almost instantly but Jim was wide awake. His brain just wouldn't shut off. Nighttime was always hard for Jim. His mind would wander, leading to the urge to read a new book or research some random theory he had.

Tonight however, Jim's mind had wandered to a completely different place than usual. He kept thinking about that father's day activity they did in class and what Mrs. Zwickstra had said to him.

"The universe works in mysterious ways Jim. I know lots of people that write letters to their deceased loved ones. It makes them feel closer to that person."

For some reason, those words stuck with him. They occupied his thoughts every time he wasn't actively focused on something. Like right now, when he was trying to sleep. When Jim was reading or studying, he could distract himself from those thoughts. But not at night.

The reason for his thoughts? He kept wondering if writing another letter to his dad would do anything. At first, he didn't think much about the letter he had written in class. But then he grew curious. Question after question swirled through his brain, all centered around one person. George Kirk. His father. A man he only knew by name and news reports.

"Just one more letter. I'll get this stupid urge out of my head and prove that it doesn't make you feel closer to a dead stranger," Jim whispered to himself as he slipped out of bed. Quietly he walked over to Sam's desk, avoiding the spot on the floor that always creaked, and grabbed his padd. He climbed back into bed just as quietly and crawled under the covers, using them to hide the light coming from the padd. Jim opened a blank page in the notes section and stared. What should he write? In the end, Jim decided he would just say whatever came to mind.

He was just starting to loosen up and get into the letter when he heard Frank's hovercar pull into the driveway. Jim looked at the time and his eyes widened in panic. 03:18. He quickly finished his letter and returned the padd to the desk. He made it back into his bed just as he heard Frank open the door and stumble inside. Jim didn't make a sound as he listened to Frank stomp up the stairs and into his own bedroom. He only released the breath he was holding after Frank's snores filled the house.

With that little adventure over with, Jim decided to try and sleep again. His experiment was a failure, as writing that second letter did in fact make him feel better. Mrs. Zwickstra was right after all. Jim drifted off to sleep with the words of his teacher ringing through his ears.

"And for all we know, there's a spiritual postman that delivers the letters."

Jim kinda hoped there really was one of those.

_Earth Stardate: June 22, Year 2238_

_Age 5_

_Dear Dad, _

_I don't know why I'm writing another letter to you. It's not for an assignment or anything. Quite the opposite in fact. Nobody knows I'm writing this at all. Sam is asleep, Mom is off planet for an assignment, and Frank is at the bar. _

_You already know who Mom and Sam are but I doubt you know who Frank is. He's the guy Mom married about three months ago. She said she married him for love but I know the truth. She married him because she needed someone to dump Sam and I on while she rejoined starfleet. Mom isn't around much, and when she is she's more focused on Sam. I don't think she likes me. She looks at me and her face gets hard. She's never hurt me or neglected me but...it's like she wishes I had died instead of you that day. _

_I know I'm probably wrong but I can't help thinking it. She's never shown me the same level of affection that she shows Sam. Every time she looks at me it's either with this depressed look or a scowl. Sam is more of a mom to me than she has ever been. _

_But enough of that! I didn't write this letter to get all depressed about mom. You and I probably know very different versions of her. And there's no guarantee she would have acted any different even if you had lived so there's no point in thinking of "what if's". _

_The reason I decided to write is because after the first letter I started wondering what type of person you were. So I thought I'd ask a few questions to get to know you. I know you'll probably never answer them, let alone read this letter but I thought I'd ask anyway. _

_What is your favorite color? _

_How did you and mom meet? _

_Did you have any pets growing up?_

_What made you want to join starfleet? _

_I have tons more but I think I'll save them for a rainy day. It's weird but writing this letter has actually helped me relax. I feel closer to you, even though I've never met you. It just kinda feels like you can read this and that all I have to do is mail it off and you'll reply. Even though logically I know you can't, it still helps. Heh. It's funny. The reason I decided to write this letter in the first place was to prove to myself that writing to you wouldn't have any affect on my mood. I'm kinda glad I'm wrong. It's relaxing to have someone to talk to that won't judge you and who you can vent everything to. I think it's pretty safe to say I'll be continuing with these letters. Probably not all the time but every now and then at least. _

_Ah shit. Frank's back. I gotta stop in case he comes up here. I don't want him to know I'm still awake. It wouldn't be good. Night! _

_Love,_

_Jim_

**Hooray! I finished Chapter 2! Now to go procrastinate by watching anime. Maybe. I haven't decided what I'll do after I get these chapters posted. I'm just happy I have two chapters ready to be posted for you guys today. I might try working on some other fics that need to be updated, though no promises. I'm easily distracted after all. **

**Before you guys say anything, the chapters WILL get longer. They're pretty short right now because it's just the beginning and there isn't as much to write about. As the series goes on, the chapters will be longer as we delve more into the plot. **

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please Review, Follow, and Favorite! I'll see you all the next update! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer ~ I do not own Star Trek**

"Sam, Sam! Look what I found!" Jim yelled, holding his Padd out for his brother to see. Sam, who had been working on his homework, let out a long sigh filled with exasperation as he placed his own Padd on his desk. Though Jim knew the sigh was just for show. Sam always welcomed any distraction from homework. He said it was a tradition for all students, stemming back to the twenty-first century.

"Congrats Jimmy. You found a Padd," Sam teased, taking the Padd from Jim, who huffed.

"You're supposed to read it Sam," Jim said, trying to sound annoyed. To Sam it sounded more like a pout, but the elder knew better than to say that to Jim. Jim would throw what could only be called as a 'hissy fit' that could last weeks. Sam would have to do some serious grovelling to make up for hurting Jim's manly pride. Nevermind the fact that Jim was only five years old and had no manly pride. Sam learned his lesson after the first time he pointed that out. Jim could hold a grudge better than the Klingons.

Sam skimmed the contents of the Padd and felt his eyes widen in shock. Of all the things Jim could have given him, Sam never once thought it would be something like this.

"This is...an article about dad?" Sam asked shocked. Jim nodded eagerly.

"Yep! It's really cool! This Pike guy is a really good writer too!" Jim said happily. His excitement died down when he noticed Sam was looking at him with an unreadable expression. "What's wrong?"

"How did you find this?" Sam asked. Jim looked down at his feet and awkwardly shuffled in place.

"I was curious. You and Mom don't like talking about Dad and I didn't want to make you sad by asking about him. So I looked him up," Jim answered quietly. Sam immediately sat the Padd down and pulled Jim into a hug.

"Jimmy just because it makes me sad doesn't mean I don't want to talk about Dad," Sam said. He hated that his baby brother would never get to meet their father and had to resort to the internet just to learn more about him.

"Really?" Jim asked. Sam felt a pang of guild at the wide, hopeful eyes Jim was giving him.

"Really and truly squirt. Dad was a hero, yes, but he was so much more than that. I bet the internet can't tell you about the time he nearly caught the kitchen on fire trying to cook pancakes," Sam said. Jim's eyes lit up at this piece of information.

"No way!" he exclaimed. Sam laughed.

"Yes way!" Sam exclaimed back. "I was there. If it wasn't for Granny walking in, he would have destroyed the whole kitchen," Sam said. Jim was hanging off his every word and Sam vowed he would make sure Jim knew as many stories as he could about their dad. He would even ask Grandpa Tiberius for more stories.

The elder brother also made a note to read the article Jim found. But for now, he would continue to tell Jim the few stories he could remember about their dad. His homework wasn't important anyway.

_Earth Stardate: August 25, Year 2238_

_Age 5_

_Dear Dad, _

_Been a few months since I last wrote huh? Sorry about that. I'm not really used to this whole writing letters thing yet. Life's been pretty uneventful. Frank is an asshole, Mom's never home, and Sam is teaching me about science. It's really cool. He says I'm a natural at it but I just like solving equations. It's fun. He teaches me when Frank isn't around, otherwise I'll self study. _

_There's actually this super comfy tree that I'll climb. I'll sit around the middle on one of the branches and read for hours. Easily my favorite place in the world. So far at least. One day I'm gonna explore space, so I'm not ruling out the possibility of finding a new favorite place. Oh! Don't worry about me falling out of it. I'm super careful and if it's rained I don't try climbing. I'll lean against the trunk and sit on the ground so I don't risk slipping. I'm not stupid. _

_The reason I'm writing this letter is because I read something kinda cool. Some guy, Christopher Pike, wrote a dissertation about you. Starting from when you first entered Starfleet to when you saved the U.S.S. Kelvin. It was really good, especially for a research paper. Though I had this feeling he knew you personally or something. Some of the things he wrote about seemed to have more feeling than if he was someone just doing a research paper. That's going to be one of my questions today. _

_Did you know Christopher Pike? _

_If so, how did you meet?_

_My other questions can wait for a while longer. Gotta save some for other letters right? _

_Right now I'm waiting for Sam to get home from school. He said he was going to show me how to balance chemical equations. It's what his class is learning right now. Sam is a really good teacher. He teaches at a pace I can keep up with. The teacher in my class is too slow and boring, which makes me lose interest really quickly. It's basically just nonstop lectures and nothing even remotely engaging or interesting. That's why I like to self study or have Sam teach me. If I self study then I can go at my own pace and I can go for as long as I want. Even if the topic doesn't hold my interest or I get bored I can stop and come back to it after a break. And Sam teaches at a pace that I can keep up with and he makes the lessons more engaging. Plus Sam says if I do well when he's teaching, he'll tell me more stories about you. How the heck do you screw up pancakes so badly? _

_But yeah. Nothing really ever happens at Riverside. The most interesting thing is usually the starfleet cadets getting into a bar fight while drunk. There's a shipyard here and cadets come usually about once or twice a year around summertime. _

_I think that's all I really have to say for this letter. _

_Love,_

_Jim_

**Me: *Needs to work on Chapter 2* **

**Me: Nah lets work on Chapter 3 instead.**

**Somehow I think my brain works backwards. Maybe I should try writing a fic from the last chapter and work my way to the first one. At least by the time I make it to chapter one, I'd have the entire fic finished. It would certainly be interesting to try. **

**Anyway, at least you guys got two chapters at once because of my crazy brain. **

**I hope you all liked this chapter! Please Review, Follow, and Favorite! I hope you all continue to support this story! **


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